Friday, May 8, 2009

Last night, I went to the 10:15 showing of Star Trek. People in the lobby looked at me oddly a few times, and it wasn't until I got home nearly three and a half hours later that I realized why: I still had mascara under my eyes from the overwhelming amount of crying that I did right before I abandoned my TV and headed for the movie theater.

I've said it many times, although probably never here in a blog, but while Derek and Meredith are the guaranteed winning relationship of Grey's Anatomy (and I love them with all my heart), years spent watching the Alex/Izzie pairing slowly build have made them my OTP.

More...There's always just been something about them. Alex and Izzie are one of those couples that I just looked at very, very early on in the series (possibly even the Pilot) and said "It's them. They'll end up together." Grey's fans often called fans of Alex/Izzie crazy, because all they really ever did was argue. Alex was (and often still is) kind of a jackass, and Izzie is incredibly ethical, moral and prone to outrage over the things Alex tends to say and do. How did the fans of this pairing think it would ever work, then? I can't speak for everyone else, but I know that I was always convinced that Alex's bastardly behavior was nothing more than a mask to hide his vulnerability and protect himself from more pain. Izzie has always been the one person who was able to bring out the softer side in him, and therefore it seemed inevitable that we'd end up where we ended up last night.

Of course, I never expected us to get here by way of Hallucination!Denny, metastasized melanoma, and tiny, inoperable tumors in the brain. But I always knew they would end up together, regardless.

I suffered through their hateful, bitter phases with each other. I suffered through Denny. I suffered through "Gizzie" (and really almost killed myself in the process). I suffered through Ava/Rebecca. I suffered through Hallucination!Denny getting in the middle of the long-awaited Alex/Izzie reunion. I suffered through it all, because I knew somehow that it was all just going to lead us back to the princess from the trailer park and the good ol' boy from Iowa. And sometimes (most times) I end up being more than justified in my decision to wait it out and trust my 'shipper gut.

Last night was incredible, you guys. I knew it was coming for a long time because the spoilers have been pretty much everywhere, but the knowing did absolutely nothing to ruin the complete perfection of it for me.

I started choking up as soon as Alex broke down on the bench outside the hospital and admitted to Meredith that he was certain Izzie would end up dying on him. My eyes got a tad misty when he showed up in the doorway of her hospital room in Derek's groom's tux and looked at her with those loving, hopeful eyes. I felt a pull at my heart when Izzie told Meredith that Alex wanted her for his "best man," and then reassured Cristina that she was the perfect maid of honor after all she did to try and save Izzie's life.

But when she started her journey down the aisle, weakened from the chemo but still smiling and determined to get to the altar, I started falling apart. She started to falter halfway there, and then - like the incredible man that he is - out steps George O'Malley to help her make it the rest of the way. The symbolism of that, after everything Izzie and George have been through together, was almost too much to bear. Caroline lost control of her emotions in that very moment, but mine were still knotted in a lump at the back of my throat until the minister asked for their vows and Alex - God love that man - opened his mouth to talk to his dying bride.

Weeping, you guys. I was in a puddle on the floor. And no matter what I do, I cannot stop watching this:

It's just beautiful. Incredible. Even Landon and Jamie would be impressed. This is probably my favorite happy, fluffy scene of Grey's Anatomy to date.

And what I love about it even more is that they have now set the stage for a really awesome exploration next season and beyond. This marriage came, yes, because they love each other but also because they're certain she's going to die. When Izzie is suddenly and miraculously saved, finally in remission and no longer in danger of immiment death, what becomes of the couple then? They'll still love each other, of course, but then we embark on the new adventure of realizing you're married and it just may actually mean forever.

It's going to get interesting, that's for sure. But nothing can ever take away the overwhelming emotions of this moment.

One response to “Grey's Anatomy: A Walk to Remember”

Hey! I followed over here from LiveJournal and so glad I did! That scene was so beautiful, the way the music swells in the end, and all of the couples exchanging looks and touches, moved by the incredible showing of love. But the thing that *really* gets me in the end is the little look and nod between George and Alex as he hands 'their girl' off to him.

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